Tag Archives: coffee

Nkundizana Epaphra Muhammed sorts the coffee beans before starting the production. (Courtesy Photo)

Epaphra’s love for agriculture propels him to coffee processing

News, UCU Alumni, , ,


Nkundizana Epaphra Muhammed sorts the coffee beans before starting the production. (Courtesy Photo)
Nkundizana Epaphra Muhammed sorts the coffee beans before starting the production. (Courtesy Photo)

By Eriah Lule
Early this year, the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) reported that the country’s coffee export revenue has risen to $115 million from the exported 413,221 60-kg (132 lb.) bags of coffee, in December 2024.  Uganda is among the top 10 coffee exporters worldwide, and second in Africa after Ethiopia, according to Ugandan Stewart Ategeka’s study published on Research Gate titled, Trend Analysis of Uganda’s Coffee Sector 2024.

Such data, growing at an exponential rate, triggered Nkundizana Epaphra Muhammed to join the Uganda coffee industry. 

Epaphra records the coffee moisture content using the moisture meter every hour before production. (Courtesy Photo)
Epaphra records the coffee moisture content using the moisture meter every hour before production. (Courtesy Photo)

His journey began with pursuing and, in 2021, receiving, a Bachelors of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship from Uganda Christian University (UCU). 

“The desire to help out coffee communities by adding value addition components to improve their standards of living was my absolute motivation,” Epaphra said. 

The 29-year-old is the quality controller of the robusta plant at UGACOF LTD. This leading coffee processor and exporter in Uganda is a subsidiary of Sucafina in Switzerland and a multinational coffee merchant and a premier supplier of East African coffee with operations in 32 countries, including Uganda.

Epaphra analyses, monitors and oversees all quality aspects in the production line until coffee is loaded in containers for export.

“I carry out cupping, which is the sensory evaluation of coffee to trace the quality and origin of the coffee,” he said. “I also participate in arranging coffee samples for Uganda Coffee Development Authority inspectors for laboratory analysis before they issue us certificates for exporting the coffee.”

Epaphra attends to beans during the production process. (Courtesy Photo)
Epaphra attends to beans during the production process. (Courtesy Photo)

In one of his engagements with the media, David Kasura-Kyomukama, the Permanent Secretary at MAAIF, noted that Uganda continues to expand its footprint in the international coffee market. Authorities focus on improving production standards, enforcing regulations and supporting farmers with better extension services. Kyomukama warned that all actors in the coffee value chain must comply with existing quality control measures to avoid penalties. 

“The public is hereby informed that all the mechanisms, including enforcement, that existed before the rationalization of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) into MAAIF remain in full effect,” he emphasized.

Epaphra credits his education at UCU for changing his perspective from seeing agriculture as a work profession to a life-wealthy project. Course units like Agribusiness were a game changer. Throughout the various outreach and demonstration programs, the Faculty of Agriculture sharpened its students’ workplace skills.

“Community outreach programs and the demonstration gardens that were set up by the faculty enlightened me how agriculture is a gold mine for wealth,” he added.

He believes that adoption of modernized agricultural farming techniques to elevate farmers from subsistence farming and value addition is the only way to generate an appealing income from agriculture yet pushing Uganda’s coffee to compete favorably on the global market. He envisions being a prominent farmer in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Epaphra’s love for coffee is sweeping. In March 2024 and before joining UGACOF, he applied with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (currently liquidated into MAAIF), pursued a short course in basic coffee quality control that ran for one month, passed and became a certified coffee quality controller by Uganda Coffee Development Authority.

“l was unemployed at the time, l started selling some ground and roasted coffee beans to survive,” he said. “I later wrote to the quality manager asking him to be around UCDA as l do more practice and experience other hands-on activities. It is the exposure and experience gained at UCDA that helped me land a job at UGACOF.”

Born to Ndinda Epaphra and Nyangoma Annet of Kagadi District in the western part of the country, Epaphra is the first born and the only boy of the couple’s six children.

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Lydia Natasha Muheire eager to taste the latte she brewed

UCU main campus launches coffee club

News, Students, UCU School of Business, , ,


Lydia Natasha Muheire eager to taste the latte she brewed
Lydia Natasha Muheire eager to taste the latte she brewed

By Irene Best Nyapendi
The allure of the aroma, taste and alertness boost of coffee has beckoned students of Uganda Christian University (UCU) for quite some time. Recently, they have bowed to the pressure, pleasure and habit through a university coffee club. 

Led by Daniel Karibwije, a lecturer at the UCU School of Business and a patron of the Coffee Club, the organization is being launched more broadly in June. The launch of the club follows UCU’s signing of a memorandum of understanding with Uganda’s coffee agency, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). UCDA is mandated to regulate, promote and oversee the coffee industry in Uganda. 

Richard Miiro Mutebi prepares to taste coffee at the UCU Incubation Hub.
Richard Miiro Mutebi prepares to taste coffee at the UCU Incubation Hub.

As a lover of coffee, Karibwije says he was disappointed by the absence of good coffee on the UCU main campus, which sparked the idea for him to start a coffee club. In late April, members of the club received barista training, an espresso machine, a grinder, and other resources from UCDA to help them get started.

The club intends to create a platform for students to engage in coffee brewing, host student barista competitions and promote a coffee-drinking culture among the youths in the country. In Uganda, many of the people who grow coffee seek to export it, and they rarely consume it themselves. 

The UCU Coffee Club is located at the UCU incubation club, where anyone can go to learn how to brew coffee or enjoy the beverage. As the club prepared for its June launch, they planned to promote coffee drinking to faculties and those attending graduation ceremonies, among other outreaches. 

UCU Coffee Club Members taste coffee
UCU Coffee Club Members taste coffee

The club is not just for coffee drinkers; it’s open to anyone who wants to taste or learn about brewing coffee.

During his teenage years, Karibwije said he regularly interacted with a neighbor working for a coffee exporting company and many foreigners. This sparked his curiosity about their love for coffee. He wondered why they were fond of the beverage. As he acquired more knowledge and consumed the drink, he learned the benefits and health risks of coffee. The beverage has been known to improve brain function and protect against diabetes while causing headaches.

For over 25 years now, on a normal day, Karibwije drinks two to three cups of coffee.

“I love my coffee dark, without sugar or milk and I usually brew it myself,” he explained. “I also drink coffee brewed by other baristas.”

As a member of the UCU Coffee Club, Lydia Natasha Muheire, a third-year student pursuing Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, has discovered a new passion – brewing coffee. 

UCU Coffee Club Members share a light moment with the team from UCDA joined by Daniel Karibwije (center in checked shirt)
UCU Coffee Club Members share a light moment with the team from UCDA joined by Daniel Karibwije (center in checked shirt)

Muheire’s previous exposure to coffee was limited to helping her grandparents collect coffee beans in the plantation. 

“I don’t like milk, but mixing it with coffee transforms it into my favorite drink,” Muheire said. “That’s how I fell in love with cappuccino and latte – they offer a delightful aroma and flavor combination.” 

Muheire added: “I was excited to join the coffee club, having always admired baristas and thought about becoming one.” 

Richard Miiro Mutebi, a member of the UCU Coffee Club, was born to small-scale coffee farmers. To him, coffee is something he turned to whenever he wanted or needed to be up later than usual.

“I haven’t always been a coffee enthusiast,” Mutebi said. “However, I often turned to coffee when I needed to stay up late at night because it’s known to boost alertness.” 

Uganda is among the highest coffee exporters globally, and second in Africa. Despite being one of the largest coffee producers in Africa, Uganda’s coffee industry remains largely untapped by its citizens, with only 5% of its coffee being consumed locally. Globally, the highest exporters of coffee are Brazil, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

Also, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook